Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 13, 2005 Energy-efficient homes may be eligible for CMHC mortgage refunds As part of its program to promote energy efficiency, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is now offering a 10 per cent refund on its mortgage loan insurance premiums to purchasers of new or resale energy-efficient homes, or those who renovate […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca August 6, 2005 No penalties for late closing if buyer agrees to new deadline Amended agreement restarts countdown for any compensation But refusing extension may give builder right to back out of deal An unhappy client came into my office last week and wanted to know if he could get compensation, since […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 30, 2005 Readers say marijuana growing concern Judging from the flood of emails and faxes I received following my July 9, 2005 Title Page column (“Grow house disclosure is critical,” archived at http://aaron.ca/columns/2005-07-09.htm), it seems that the issue of disclosure of grow house operations on police web sites and in agreements […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 16, 2005 Buyers unaware of endangered birdsJudge ruled that realtor should have come clean But court still awarded only minor damages The Ontario Superior Court in Belleville last month awarded $2,200 in damages in favour of the purchasers of a parcel of land after their real estate agent failed to advise […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 16, 2005 Get advice about down payment gifts Parents should consult lawyer before providing house loanDemand mortgage may not offer adequate future protection When young couples buy a home for the first time, it’s not uncommon for the parents of one partner or the other to provide financial assistance. It may […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 11, 2005 Get legal advice if no occupancy permit on closing day I had an interesting response last week to my May 28, 2005 column, in which I told the story of a couple who refused to close their house purchase when a municipal occupancy permit was not available on closing […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 9, 2005 Grow house disclosure is critical People have a right to know before buyingMould, damage may be hidden in these structures Should the Toronto police maintain a public registry of homes that have been used for marijuana grow houses? Is there an obligation on a vendor to disclose that fact […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca July 2, 2005 Be wise: Get a will to avoid problems For most people, buying a home or cottage involves acquiring the most expensive asset and incurring the largest debt they will ever have in their lives. Taking time to get advice on succession planning can save nasty family battles and huge […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 25, 2005 Toxic mould in homes becoming a hot issue Is toxic mould the new urea formaldehyde foam insulation? That was the question raised at a Law Society summit for several hundred real estate lawyers in April by Toronto lawyer Rosalind H. Cooper of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. Cooper is an […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 18, 2005 New law improves time-share safeguards The first major overhaul of Ontario’s consumer protection legislation in almost 30 years comes into effect July 30, and among many other things, it means major changes in the way the time-share industry will operate in this province. At present, there is no cooling-off […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca June 4, 2005 It’s difficult to detect bogus ID Once upon a time, real estate lawyers could assume with confidence that the clients sitting in their office were actually who they said they were. All that changed in 1996 when an Ontario court ruled that a lawyer was negligent for failing to […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 28, 2005 Buyers told it’s illegal if they occupy home Can a homebuyer be forced to move into a home when an occupancy permit has not been issued and the home fails to meet the Ontario Building Code? Last summer, a couple signed a contract to purchase a new home from […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 21, 2005 Avoid a feud: Treat cottage like a business Joint ownership holds potential for family friction Have rules for use, charge fees, ask for reservations Just in time for the traditional start of cottage season this Victoria Day weekend, Self-Counsel Press has published a new soft cover book called […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 14, 2005 BANANA has appeal One of the most important functions of a real estate lawyer is to translate sometimes-obscure legal terminology into language that is simple and understandable. Lately, however, I have discovered that there is a large developing field of terms in the real estate field, which do not […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca May 7, 2005 Home completion delays a sign of the times Last week I received an interesting email from a reader who had some questions about delays in closing his new home purchase. "William" explained that he had signed a contract with a builder, with an original closing date set for this […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 30, 2005 New model homes may not be covered by Tarion It came as quite a surprise to me to discover last week that the Tarion new home warranty does not always cover model homes. I always thought that Tarion (previously the Ontario New Home Warranty Program) covered all brand new […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 23, 2005 Can new home GST also apply to renos? Tax charged if 90 per cent of interior redone Calculation is based on the entire house It s common knowledge that GST applies to the sale of a new home. There is a partial rebate available if the home is […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 16, 2005 Read all warning clauses carefully One client’s contract referred to EMI concerns Research found little evidence of cancer link Virtually all builder offers contain an extensive section warning purchasers of matters that they should be aware of, and which might concern them, after they move in. The warning clauses […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 9, 2005 Real estate fraud continues to grow Law Society releases report Crooks can easily access information Perhaps the most significant development in the real estate field in the last decade has been the phenomenal growth in mortgage and real estate fraud. Published estimates show that fraud is costing lenders, insurers, […]
Bob Aaron bob@aaron.ca April 2, 2005 Issues to consider before signing purchase agreement For most people, buying a new home is the single largest transaction they will ever make. Signing a builder purchase agreement involves entering into a contract with 10 to 20 pages of small print, written in a strange language called legalese. Based […]